


Golden

by Raine_Wynd



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Chuck Lives, Explicit Sexual Content, Language, M/M, Magic, Post-Operation Pitfall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-14 20:00:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2201208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raleigh's a dog sometimes. It only matters if you're Chuck Hansen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Heart aching for the loss, Chuck stared out at the empty jaeger bays. He’d been released from the ‘dome’s medical clinic just that morning, the last pilot to be released, two weeks after Operation Pitfall. He’d been badly bruised, sprained his right wrist, broken his right forearm, and had been in a coma for two days from being bounced around in his escape pod. Still, he was alive. Raleigh had been released two days earlier; even with the advanced healing gels that had been applied to his skin, his drive suit burns had been slow to heal, in part due to malnutrition and chronic insomnia. Mako had been luckier, with only drive suit burns. All three of them had been treated for radiation exposure, though the preventative measures they’d taken had gone a long way to keeping them from being sick.

Later today, they’d address the public for the first time in an interview that would be broadcast to the world. Right now, however, Chuck wanted to remember the world that was. As much as he’d dedicated his life to fighting kaiju, somehow he expected to just…keep on doing that forever, or until he died in his jaeger. Stacker’s final words to him – “I can pilot her the rest of the way; you need to help your father” – rang in Chuck’s head.

As if sensing his presence was needed, Max trotted forward, leash trailing. Only, he wasn’t alone. A golden retriever accompanied him, looking very young and eager, if on the thin side. Chuck blinked. As far as he knew, he was the only one allowed to have a dog in the restricted access zone of the jaeger bay.

The retriever looked inordinately pleased with himself as he plopped down at Chuck’s feet. Automatically, Chuck checked for a collar – and found Raleigh Becket’s dog tags attached. The dog grinned as if he was privy to a joke only he knew. Still, Chuck couldn’t resist the urge to pet the newcomer, enjoying the feel of the retriever’s coat, which was a contrast to Max’s. 

“Where’d that seppo find you, huh? Maybe someone dumped you off at the gate; they used to do that all the time in Sydney. You look like you haven’t been fed in a while. You hungry, boy?”

The retriever just pushed his head under Chuck’s hand, demanding more skritches. Chuck laughed. “Oh, I see, you just want attention.”

Max barked eagerly, as if he agreed. Then he stopped, his nose twitching, and barked again, nearly lunging forward. Chuck caught the bulldog’s leash just in time to haul him back. “No,” Chuck said firmly, guessing it was someone Max recognized.

Max whined, and the retriever nipped him. Max shot the retriever a wounded look, but submitted, surprising Chuck.

Mako stepped forward at that moment, looking a little frazzled. “Oh, there you are,” she said. “Sorry if he was bothering you, Chuck.”

“No, not at all. Is he yours?”

Amusement danced in Mako’s eyes. “No.” She looked at the retriever. “Now, come on, the marshal wants to speak to you.”

The retriever barked sharply.

“Yes, even though.” Mako stood firm, as much of a fixed point as her father had been – and for a moment, Chuck felt the shimmer of tears fill his eyes. Blinking rapidly, Chuck focused on the scene before him.

With a great show of reluctance, the retriever moved to Mako’s side, then looked up at her as if to say, “Well? Are we going now?”

Chuck frowned at the oddness of their conversation; it was as if the dog understood English. 

Mako laughed, and gathered the retriever to her side with a sheer force of will.

Shaking his head, Chuck put the moment out of his head.

Two hours and a stop to drop Max off with his father later, Chuck had relocated himself to the edge of Bay 5, where the jaeger salvage operation was well underway. International law held that it was illegal for anyone other than the PPDC to own any part of a jaeger. Parts of Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha were in neat piles in the hangar bay and in labeled containment pods. Sectors had been cordoned off for Striker and Gipsy, though the word among the crews was that most doubted they’d see anything from the latter and very little from the former. From the brief conversation Chuck had had with his father, he knew that Herc wanted another jaeger in service, as soon as possible, just in case.

For safety reasons, the crew chief in charge had banned Chuck from getting any closer than the edge of the doorway. A worried doggie whine caught his attention, and Chuck turned to see the same golden retriever as before, a few feet away in the hallway.

Seeing he had Chuck’s attention, the retriever whined again. 

“What now?” Chuck asked, stepping into the hallway. “You lose Mako? One bark for yes, two for no.”

Two short yips were his reply.

Chuck stared at the dog, shaking his head as he realized the dog had understood him. For a long moment, he tried to process why that could be, then realized what might be the problem. “You want to go out but you don’t want to become someone’s dinner?”

One bark.

“All right, all right,” Chuck said, sighing. It wasn’t as though he could help with the salvage, but it had been a comfort of sorts. “Can’t let you off leash outside, so we’re gonna have to stop by my quarters. Where’s Raleigh? Crashed out in his bed, I bet.”

The dog yipped twice. Chuck eyed him warily, but continued to walk down the hallway to his quarters, the dog right beside him, tail wagging. Once Chuck unlocked the door, the dog waited for him to clear a space wide enough for him to enter before bolting inside and leaping onto the bed closest to the door.

“Get down, you overgrown puppy,” Chuck admonished him.

Seemingly pleased with his new location, the dog didn’t move.

“I said, ‘Down,’” Chuck said sternly. 

Sulking, the retriever moved to the floor. Chuck located Max’s spare leash, and after locating a clip he could use, clipped it to the retriever’s collar. After a moment’s hesitation, Chuck grabbed a tennis ball from the stash his father kept.

One side of the Shatterdome was bordered by a long stretch of open grass that dead-ended at a short wall, beyond which the helipad could be seen. A ten-foot-tall reinforced steel-and-concrete fence – the same type used to enclose the Shatterdome from the civilian populace it protected – enclosed the grassy area. Chuck knew some of the ‘domes turned this area into a memorial space, or a smoking area, or just bricked it over so that no one had to bother with mowing; Hong Kong had apparently left it mostly alone. He was grateful for this now; he’d gotten used to the small strip Sydney had.

Though Chuck had trained Max to use a piddle-pad, he’d learned that a cooped-up bulldog was a neurotic one, so he did his best to give Max fresh air and exercise. The retriever seemed to relax a bit once they got outside, and even did a little territorial marking.

Amused, Chuck tossed the tennis ball he’d brought, and watched the retriever go absolutely nuts with pleasure as he ran to retrieve it. For the better part of an hour, Chuck forgot all about the fact he had to throw left-handed, that he was a jaeger pilot in a world that didn’t need one, and that he had no clue what he was doing next.

Max in tow, Herc found him like that. Herc’s right arm was in a sling since it was still healing, so he held Max’s leash in his left hand. The look on his face when Chuck finally turned to see who’d shown up was equal parts amused and exasperated.

The retriever dropped the ball at Chuck’s feet, greeted Max with a quick series of barks that Max replied to, and then looked adoringly at Herc.

“Raleigh, you might’ve fooled my son, but I know you’re only stuck that way for another fourteen hours, so cut out with the ‘I’m just a cute dog and you should pet me’ shit,” Herc told him.

Shocked, Chuck looked at the retriever, then looked at his father. “Oi. You’re telling me that dog is Raleigh?”

One yip was his reply. Chuck stared at the dog. “How the fuck?”

“He got cursed two years after Anchorage,” Herc told him. “If he doesn’t shift willingly on a regular basis, he gets stuck as a dog for twenty-four hours.”

“And you know this how?”

“He warned Mako it might happen.” Herc glared at Raleigh. “All because someone didn’t shift before he climbed into a jaeger for a Drift test, like he should’ve.”

Raleigh whined, as if to say, “You try being me.”

“Is it catching?” Chuck wondered.

“As far as he knows, no.” Herc turned to Raleigh. “I thought I told you to stay in your quarters.”

Raleigh made a combination whine and a growl, rolling his head in a way that managed to convey that he’d gotten bored.

“Ranger Becket,” Herc snapped. “Back to your quarters or you will regret it. And don’t give me any shit about how you can’t open any door because you don’t have thumbs. I know Mako coded those dog tags so you could.”

Raleigh made a protesting noise, but slunk off as he’d been ordered. Chuck looked at his father. “You ordered him to stay in his quarters the entire time he’s a dog when you won’t let me do that to Max?”

Herc looked frustrated. “Did you forget we have an interview this afternoon?”

Chuck swore; he had. “Fuck. They’re coming on site, aren’t they?”

“BBC News,” Herc agreed. “Came out to get you so you could have lunch and get ready; they’ll be here at 1330.”

“I’d better shower and change first,” Chuck said. His father nodded, not surprised by the qualifier, and they headed back to their quarters, Max trotting happily beside Herc.


	2. Chapter 2

Considering that they had to cover for Raleigh’s absence (“he’s not feeling well,” Herc claimed), the interview went about as well as Chuck expected. The news team who’d shown up was not angling for a trashy celebrity piece, but a true congratulatory/what’s next segment. As such, they were professional, and therefore stuck to the list of preapproved questions, which, Chuck noted gratefully, did not ask him what it was like to know his copilot had wanted to die in a jaeger than from cancer.

As soon as they were cleared to leave, Chuck followed Mako to Raleigh’s quarters. “I am not sure he wants to see you,” Mako said, hesitating.

“Why? Because I got him in trouble?”

Mako shook her head. “No, because he might think you want to encourage him to get into more.”

“Are you saying I’d deliberately do something like that?”

Mako laughed. “You always did when we were kids.”

“Point,” Chuck conceded.

“Stay out here. I will ask.” The heavy metal door, designed to close softly, slipped shut behind her.

The happy bark he heard a minute later was faint, but still audible. Mako smiled when she let Chuck inside the room, still sparsely decorated, but made distinctly Raleigh’s with the addition of his photo collection.

“I convinced my old man you should be able to roam freely, as long as you stay within the ‘Dome,” Chuck told Raleigh. “The reporters are finishing up, but they’ll be gone in half an hour. After that, we can spring you.”

Raleigh barked happily. Now that Chuck was looking for it, he could see the faint traces where the drive suit burns had made the fur grow differently. “When you’re human again, I have a ton of questions,” Chuck warned him.

“I could answer some of those, if you like,” Mako pointed out as she took a seat on the bed. Raleigh leapt up and arranged himself beside her, shamelessly angling his head directly under her hand. For a moment, Chuck’s hands itched for a camera; Raleigh was looking at Mako as though she was his world, and somehow, it didn’t seem that strange, given the way Chuck had seen Raleigh look at her when he was human-shaped.

Chuck studied her a moment before answering, watching her pet Raleigh like he was, well, a well-loved dog. “He’s not totally dog when he’s in that form?”

“No. He rationalizes as human; he said it just takes a bit longer to process because the part of him that’s dog just wants to think of less complicated things – food, water, getting petted, having good toys to play with, marking territory, that sort of thing.”

“Oh. He can talk to Max?”

Mako nodded as Raleigh’s tail thumped the mattress. From the looks of it, Raleigh was living in the moment, completely enraptured with getting his head scratched just the way he liked it.

Chuck rubbed the back of his neck. “How the hell did he get cursed?”

Mako hesitated, and Raleigh whined, head-butting her as if he didn’t want her to answer. “I do not think he would like me to repeat that story.”

“Is it something I can avoid doing?” Chuck wanted to know.

Raleigh covered his eyes with a paw. 

“Can’t see…you mean you don’t know,” Chuck interpreted.

Raleigh barked once.

“You and I are so having this conversation again tomorrow,” Chuck warned. Something made him add, “And if you’re interested, I’m walking Max after dinner.” He pulled open the door and left.


	3. Chapter 3

As Chuck had hoped, Mako and Raleigh joined him and Max after dinner. From the way Max was behaving, he adored Raleigh-the-golden-retriever. Raleigh bounded forward, then bounded back, running himself ragged in the process but clearly having a good time. 

“I feel like I should be videotaping this,” Chuck admitted, “and using it as blackmail later.” They’d completed their walk and had parked themselves on the bench installed at the edge of the grassy strip. The dogs had taken the cue to play.

Mako laughed. “You could, but you aren’t, and you won’t,” she said. “Because if it was you, you’d hate that someone did it to you.”

Chuck bit back a smile. He’d forgotten just how brutally honest Mako could be in her character assessments and how well she knew him. He’d let their friendship fall to the back burner as the kaiju activity had increased. Picking it back up, post-Pitfall, had required profound apologies from Chuck – but that, too, was not anything new between them. “Part of me thinks it would be cool to be a dog.”

Mako laughed again. “It’s a very small part.”

“Very,” Chuck agreed. “My luck, I’d be stuck as a dog when we needed to fight kaiju. Max, come back here!” 

Max trotted promptly towards Chuck and sat down, but looked back as if checking to see if Raleigh was following. Raleigh yipped, and sat down at Mako’s feet. 

“I don’t know what we’re going to be doing now that we don’t have any jaegers,” he admitted.

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Mako said serenely. “The UN may want us back, but the marshal isn’t budging. I do not know about you, but I would feel much better if we had a few jaegers just in case. Either way, your father has plans for us, and he will be explaining them in the morning. It was to be today but _someone’s_ a dog right now and can’t, technically, agree to anything.”

Raleigh barked once in agreement, causing Max to bark as well. A long string of barks and yips followed; it sounded like Raleigh was trying to explain to Max what Mako had just said. Finally, Max barked and wagged his tail as if to say, “Got it.”

“Did he just –” Chuck asked Mako, staring.

“Yes,” Mako said. She studied Chuck a moment. “And you’re jealous.”

“Am not,” Chuck said furiously. He was, but he was damned if he was going to admit it. He’d been a boy dreaming of piloting a jaeger when Herc had gifted him with Max; wishing that his dog could understand what he said beyond simple commands had been a secret (and he’d long thought, childish) fantasy.

She smiled serenely. “Ask Raleigh to translate tomorrow, if you’re curious. Raleigh, you’re getting tired; we should go.”

Raleigh barked once, then fell in step beside Mako.

Chuck looked at his bulldog. “Just for the record, Max, you’d better not be like him, understood?”

Content with the feel of his master’s hands on his head, Max just looked up at him, clearly not understanding a damn thing other than he was being addressed and petted. 

Chuck laughed at himself for even thinking such silliness, even as he wondered what had happened to turn Raleigh into a dog.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time Chuck saw Raleigh, he was back to being human, dressed in the oversize sweater that hid his scars. Aware they couldn’t talk about this in the hallway, Chuck let him into his quarters.

Max barked eagerly and ran up to him. “Hey, slugger,” Raleigh said, kneeling down to rub his head. Max woofed once, then happily took his previous position at Chuck’s feet.

Chuck eyed his bulldog warily. “One day and you’ve retrained my dog. One day.”

Raleigh laughed. “Nah. He knows you’re his alpha. I’m just a different kind of alpha. You just handle him differently than your dad and he can tell when you really need him to behave.”

That made sense; Chuck knew his father tended to use a leash on Max more while Chuck trusted the dog to understand voice commands.

“Thanks for letting me run off my frustrations yesterday.”

“You’re welcome,” Chuck said. “You gonna tell me how you got cursed?”

“Someone thought he was doing me a favor. There was a kaiju cult meeting in the pub that night, and I walked in, not knowing, and that’s how Jason snuck me out – as a dog. He drove me to the next town, checked me into a hotel, waited twenty-four hours until I changed back, stuck a note in my duffel bag with what the rules were, and wished me luck.”

Chuck frowned. “He couldn’t stick around and undo it?”

“Said he didn’t know what the counter-spell was.” Raleigh shook his head. “Not sure I believe that. I think he was just out of time. He told me he was on the run himself; I got the impression he stole magic from someone he shouldn’t have.”

“You believe in magic?”

“Wouldn’t you if you suddenly got transformed into a dog and had to learn how to change back with only ‘think of the right shape’ as your instruction?” Raleigh asked dryly. 

“Good point. So what happened to this Jason guy?”

“He got struck by lightning as he walked away from me; he was dead by the time the EMTs showed up.”

Chuck winced. “That’s incentive not to go looking. Still – don’t you want to be cured of it?”

Raleigh laughed. “At this point, no, not really.” He shot Chuck a wry look. “Part of me’s afraid to even start looking for someone with magical ability. Might wind up stuck as a dog if the guy was only looking for money or didn’t really know what he was doing.”

Chuck winced again. “Yeah, I can see that.”

“Jason gave me a gift in a way; he gave me a reason to think about something else besides my grief. Took me long enough to figure out how to manage being both dog and human,” he admitted. “Some days, it’s just easier to be a dog. By the way, Max understands more than you realize. He knows you miss being in a jaeger.”

Chuck stared at Raleigh, who shrugged. “In dog, it’s basically ‘giant metal thing that smells of oil, sweat, ocean, and that bad-sea-smell.’ You raised him to understand not to scratch when you’re wearing a drive suit, and he knows you haven’t worn a drive suit in a while. He’s a good dog who wants to please you.”

“I can’t believe you let me think you were a stray,” Chuck muttered.

Raleigh grinned. “Figured you’d catch on sooner than that, actually.” 

“So why’d my old man say you were supposed to shift before you got into a jaeger?”

Raleigh looked sheepish. “I, uh, need to shift at least once a week. I, uh, was going to, but I thought I could force myself not to so I could be human for the battles.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I forgot the part where if I don’t, I don’t get a choice.”

“But you could shift whenever you wanted?”

Raleigh nodded. “It’s hell on clothes, though, and no, I’m not going to demonstrate right now for you.”

Chuck tried to hide his disappointment. He'd been hoping for the excuse to ogle a naked Raleigh.

“Maybe later, when we’re not expected to be meeting your dad for a briefing.”

Chuck nodded acquiescence and, tucking Max’s leash in a pocket, called for the dog to follow as Raleigh opened the door.


	5. Chapter 5

“Here’s where we stand,” Herc told them a few minutes later. “We have support from China, Australia, Japan, and Russia to continue monitoring the Breach and assist with reconstruction. We have enough funding from our private backers for the next two years. Australia is delivering Phantom Vengeance to us so we can do the monitoring and reconstruction work.”

Chuck looked shocked. “I thought it wasn’t finished yet.”

“The factory went ahead and built it, despite not getting paid to do it,” Herc said. “The owner felt strongly that a world without jaegers is a world unprepared for disaster. He apparently made some deals so his workers wouldn’t go hungry.”

“What’s Phantom Vengeance?” Raleigh asked.

“The second Mark V,” Chuck replied. “Sister to Striker Eureka.”

Raleigh whistled. “Sweet. When does it get here?”

“Jumphawks are delivering it tomorrow. Mako, I need you to look it over, make sure it doesn’t have any problems. Raleigh and Chuck, I need you to do the same, this time as senior pilots who might Drift together.”

“Oi!” Chuck objected. “Why?”

“Because I need that perspective,” Herc replied. “I can’t do like I did in Sydney, son, and be the 2IC who goes out in a jaeger. I’m the marshal now.” 

“Fuck,” Chuck said. “Dad, it was hard enough Drifting with Stacker. I don’t know if I could do it again with…with anyone else. Even if it was Raleigh.”

“I understand.” Herc paused before adding, “That said, I can’t put you and Raleigh in a jaeger. As good as you both are, you’d kill each other in the Drift.”

Chuck lifted his head, stung by the assumption. He’d only objected to Raleigh because he thought Raleigh wasn’t good enough, but that had quickly been disproven. Raleigh took the wind out of the objection Chuck was about to make by saying, “It’s not you, Chuck. Between what happened at Anchorage, what happened at the Breach, and the fact my brain is sometimes a dog’s as well as sometimes my brother’s…do you really want to try to mess with that? My brain’s Swiss cheese some days.”

“Doesn’t that mean you can’t Drift with Mako?”

“Only as a last resort,” Raleigh said. “I, uh, damaged myself more piloting solo a second time.”

Chuck frowned at that news. 

“It may be easier to train another pair to do the patrol work,” Mako stepped in. “We would probably find it endlessly boring, were we to do it all the time, given how we’re all used to going out and fighting.”

Chuck barked out a laugh at that. “Good point.” He looked at Raleigh. “Think we can pretend we might have to pilot that jaeger?”

“You’re more familiar with the systems a Mark 5 jaeger will have, but I know how vicious a half-wounded Cat 5 kaiju can be.” He glanced at Chuck, noting that his right arm was still in a cast. “Besides, since you’re down an arm, that’ll give us a chance to see if the systems register problems.”

“That’s settled, then,” Herc said with finality. “Mako, if you have any input as well, I’d like to hear it.”

“I’d like to see if we could upgrade the weapons and systems based on what we learned,” Mako said. 

“Yeah, not being able to fire Striker’s AKMs sucked,” Chuck said. “Plus, we couldn’t see shit underwater until the kaiju were on top of us. We have to be prepared for acid, EMPs, and speed.”

“And vicious tails that can grip and wings,” Raleigh added.

“Keep in mind,” Herc cautioned, “we don’t have a billion-dollar budget. You and Mako did fine with what you had.”

“We could do better,” Mako replied. “If I hadn’t upgraded Gipsy to have two chain swords, we wouldn’t have survived.”

Herc acknowledged that point with a nod. “We’ll discuss what we can do after you make your report tomorrow.”

“Who was up for that jaeger?” Chuck wondered, and watched his father’s face shutter.

“The Kaidonovskys,” Herc replied, and Chuck didn’t have to look to know how they all felt at that news. “The new jaeger will be here tomorrow at 0800. There will be a press conference at 1000; please check your email for the expected list of questions. If you have questions about the conference, please see May Vo,” Herc said, referring to the PPDC’s head of public relations. “Any other questions?”

“Why isn’t the US supporting us?” Raleigh asked.

“They want you to show up at the White House first,” Herc said sourly, “and present you and your brother a medal they claim is overdue.”

Raleigh groaned. “The one they tried to give me when I was stuck in the hospital after Anchorage.”

Herc nodded. “I heard the Gages told the presidential representative to fuck off and die when they saw him coming.”

Raleigh nodded wearily. “Bruce and Trevin were awesome for that shit.” He took a deep breath. “They helped me disappear after….after Knifehead.”

Herc didn’t look surprised. “Always figured you had help. In any case, Chuck and Raleigh – you two are dismissed until the morning; we can figure out a training plan then. I’ll be in my office if you need me. Raleigh – when you shift, please stay inside the ‘dome and away from the salvage or the kaiju lab. I do not need to find out how you react to any hazardous materials. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mako, if you would stay a moment, I need your help coordinating the transport.”

“Yes, sir,” Mako said quietly.

Chuck drew himself to attention as Raleigh did the same. Herc said, “Dismissed,” and the two men turned as one to leave.


	6. Chapter 6

Raleigh shot Chuck a grin as they exited the office; Max had elected to stay behind with Herc. “Did you have any plans for the rest of the day?”

“Not really, no. Figured I’d work out a bit later, maybe take a look at the candidate list and see who Mako thought would work if they didn’t find you.” Chuck studied the older man. “Did you want to show me that trick you do?”

Raleigh grinned. “I could do that. My room or yours?”

“Yours. The old man hasn’t moved into the marshal’s quarters yet.”

It didn’t take them long to get to Raleigh’s room. As soon as the door shut behind Chuck, Raleigh pulled off his sweater, revealing he had a new set of drive suit scars to go along with his older ones. He then hesitated.

“Something wrong? You modest or something?” Chuck asked.

“No,” Raleigh said. “I can shift with clothes on, but it’s uncomfortable and I usually wind up ripping something accidentally. Might want to step back a bit. You’re, uh, a little close.” He looked down at the hand’s width of distance between them.

Understanding dawned, and Chuck moved back, closer to the door. 

Raleigh crouched down to untie his boots, slipping them off with practiced ease. He then stood, undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and shed both pants and underwear in a single fluid motion, dumping the lot off where he stood. Chuck caught sight of Raleigh’s cock, which was proportionate for his height, and his mouth watered. Chuck didn’t have much time to appreciate the sight, though, for as soon as Raleigh was naked, he shifted.

The process was instantaneous. Where once a supremely fit specimen of man had stood, a golden retriever was. Raleigh grinned a happy doggy grin, then trotted over to where Chuck stood, and shoved his nose in Chuck’s crotch.

“Oi!” Chuck objected, hastily shoving Raleigh away. “Jeezus, Raleigh, even Max doesn’t do that to me.”

Raleigh raised his head as if to say, “Oh yeah?”

“Change back, all right? I get it,” Chuck said hastily. He was not going to argue with a dog, even if it was Raleigh.

Raleigh cocked his head, his nose twitching, but moved closer to where his clothes lay. An instant later, Raleigh the man stood, naked. “Satisfied?” he asked, and there was a challenge in his voice.

“Does it hurt?”

“Do it too often in one day and I get sore,” Raleigh admitted as he fished out his underwear from his pants and put them on. 

Chuck bit back a sigh of disappointment; he’d enjoyed the view. “So that’s it?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Raleigh said, and eyed Chuck. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Ever had sex with a guy?”

Chuck stared, caught off guard. He’d forgotten that even coming back, with no idea what he was going to pilot, Raleigh had swaggered as he walked. Raleigh had a jaeger pilot’s confidence – and he’d let Chuck pet him in the guise of being a dog. Plus, there was that nose shoving thing he’d done just a few minutes ago. Chuck wouldn’t be surprised if Raleigh had smelled his interest. “What?” he challenged, a heartbeat too late.

Raleigh grinned. “So that’s no, then. Want to find out?”

Unable to believe what he was hearing, Chuck continued to stare before he managed to pull his composure together. He’d wanted Raleigh, but this wasn't going the way he'd expected. Maybe Herc said something to him, Chuck thought. Herc knew his son was gay; it had been hard to hide that in the Drift, especially when the kaiju alarm had sounded when Chuck had been occupied with sex.

“Why? My old man put you up to this?” Chuck stalled. It felt like Raleigh had all the answers, and Chuck didn’t like losing control of situations.

Raleigh grinned. “No, but he did mention you either want to fight or fuck people, so I figured… we won, and as far as I know, you haven’t had victory sex yet.”

“And if I said I had, would your offer still be open?”

“What, you got the nurse to give you a hand job?” Raleigh challenged. “Because in case you weren’t paying attention, I know you didn’t get out of Medical before I did.”

Chuck flushed. Raleigh might have a fucked-up brain, Chuck thought, but it was laser-sharp when it was focused on a target, and Chuck was currently lit up in those sights. “No, I didn’t.” Chuck’s eyes widened when Raleigh grinned. “You did? When?”

“A long time ago,” Raleigh said, his expression shuttering. “And I’d rather talk about you and me. As in, you want to get fucked?”

Raleigh closed the distance between them, each step a silent statement: _if you say anything, I’ll stop._

Chuck narrowed his eyes. Yeah, Raleigh had smelled his interest, judging from the way things were going. Suddenly, Chuck was nervous. “And if I said it’s been a year since I was with a guy, would you withdraw that offer?”

Raleigh smiled. “No, but I’ll make sure you want to do it again with me. So, Chuck, is that a yes? Because I’m not going to touch you without a clear yes or no.”

Some of Chuck’s nerves eased at that. “Yes,” he said, then thought of something. “You’re not going to turn into a dog in the middle of it, are you? Because that would be gross.”

Raleigh made a face. “No, because I happen to agree with you, and no, I’m not into that kind of thing.”

“Then what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?” Chuck dared.

Raleigh leaned forward and kissed him, and oh – that was a surprise, the way lust shot through Chuck like lightning at Raleigh’s kiss, the press of that lean, muscular body against his. Chuck had been kissed, but not like this. Other people had tried to worship him with their kisses and he’d laughed it off in favor of getting off quickly. Now, however, he found it eased his nerves and ignited his desire, and he returned Raleigh’s kisses, wanting more.

Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward to stand there, kissing slowly, letting Raleigh dictate the pace. Raleigh kept his hands on Chuck shoulders, not pressuring, but the heat of his body felt incredibly close, especially since Raleigh was mostly naked. Raleigh then nibbled and licked a trail down the side of Chuck’s face; Chuck’s breath hitched and he let his head fall back slightly.

Raleigh took that gesture for permission to continue. Chuck felt Raleigh shove his t-shirt up. He took the hint to take it off, mindful of the cast on his right arm, then tossed it aside, not caring where it fell. Raleigh leaned in and started licking, nibbling, and playing with Chuck’s nipples. Chuck’s breath hitched at the contact; he’d forgotten just how sensitive they were. He was so focused on the pleasure Raleigh was giving him, Chuck almost forgot he could touch Raleigh, too. 

While still keeping his mouth on Chuck’s left nipple, Raleigh reached down and undid Chuck’s belt, then unzipped Chuck’s pants. Chuck shuddered and forced himself to pull back slightly. 

“Keep doing that and it’ll be over faster,” Chuck said.

Raleigh laughed softly. “And here I was thinking I could get you undressed first.”

“Just let me get out of these clothes already,” Chuck groused. “No helping.”

Grinning, Raleigh raised his hands and stepped back. “You can put it all on the desk chair,” he said with a gesture.

Chuck was grateful for the long practice of having to get undressed quickly in order to fight kaiju. It meant he didn’t fumble over his belt or his boots, but he felt oddly exposed when he turned to face Raleigh. It felt almost like the first time he’d had sex, with all the nerves shooting through him, wanting this to be as perfect as it could be.

“All right if we don’t do anal?” Raleigh asked anxiously. He’d taken off his underwear while Chuck had undressed. “I don’t have any lube or condoms.” He shrugged ruefully. “Thought I had some in my duffel bag, but I must’ve left it behind somewhere or it got stolen.”

Some part of Chuck, worried that Raleigh had planned this seduction, felt relieved to know he hadn’t. Chuck laughed ruefully. “Want me to run and get some? I have stuff in my room.”

Raleigh shook his head. “Not today.” He pulled Chuck closer and kissed him deeply. For long moments, they traded increasingly heated kisses, but Chuck wanted more.

He broke the kiss and started to kneel, only to be stopped by Raleigh’s hand. “Bed,” he suggested. “So we can do each other.”

Liking that idea, Chuck moved quickly to the bed. He knew he couldn’t support his weight since his right arm was in a cast, so he laid down first. Raleigh then straddled him. It took them a minute to figure out how Raleigh could put his knees down around Chuck’s head so Chuck’s right arm wasn’t in the way, but somehow, that didn’t diminish their desire for each other a bit. 

Presented with the prize he’d been eying, Chuck didn’t hesitate to start working Raleigh’s cock into his mouth. Knowing it had been a while since he’d sucked anyone and seeing that Raleigh’s cock was above average, Chuck resisted the temptation to take it all. Raleigh seemed to be doing the same thing with Chuck’s cock, and any lingering notion Chuck had that what he was doing wasn’t good enough vanished. Chuck quickly lost himself in the pleasure of tasting and sucking even as he was being tasted and sucked. Lung power from years of piloting a jaeger came in handy now, but still, Chuck found it hard to breathe. Heat pounded through his blood until it was harder to focus on what he was doing, but Chuck kept working, wanting to make Raleigh come first.

He didn’t succeed. Raleigh took the last bit of Chuck’s cock in his mouth and hummed, then placed just the tip of his finger into Chuck's ass. The mere suggestion of being fucked was a trigger. Chuck’s orgasm exploded through him, and he had to take Raleigh’s cock out of his mouth just so he could breathe through the aftershocks. Wanting to give back some of the same pleasure, Chuck refocused his attention and took Raleigh’s cock back in his mouth until he came.

For a moment, neither man moved. Then with a sigh, Raleigh maneuvered himself so that he was facing Chuck. Grinning, Raleigh asked, “So, want to do this again, this time with condoms and lube?”

“Definitely,” Chuck agreed, and kissed him, closed-mouth. Raleigh returned the kiss.

“Ranger Chuck Hansen and Ranger Raleigh Becket, please come to Conference Room B,” the ‘dome-wide paging system intoned in its too-pleasant female voice, then repeated the page.

Raleigh made a face. “We smell like sex,” he said as he rose to his feet.

“Not going to apologize for it,” Chuck said, sitting up.

“Yeah, but if it’s some bigwig, we’ll look like idiots.”

Chuck grimaced. “I can’t get my cast wet.”

“Ever heard of a sponge bath?” Raleigh asked dryly. “You can use my mouthwash. I’m going to shower.”

Chuck nodded and followed Raleigh into the bathroom. Raleigh caught him ogling and grinned. “We can do more later,” he promised, and pulled the shower curtain closed.


	7. Chapter 7

Fifteen minutes later, they entered the conference room. May Vo, the head of the PPDC’s public relations department, stood in the room. She was a petite Vietnamese woman who exuded confidence and style. “Good afternoon, Rangers,” she greeted. “Time to prep for tomorrow’s press conference.”

“We haven’t even seen the jaeger,” Raleigh protested. “Let alone the inside of it.”

May cued up the video presentation and turned to him. “Which is why you’re here.” She handed them paper and pens. “Take notes; there will be a quiz.”

Chuck groaned mentally. This was not how he wanted his afternoon to go; he wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon with Raleigh. Still, Chuck had been a jaeger pilot too long to waste the opportunity he’d been given to know his jaeger.

The thirty-minute video had been produced by the firm that made the jaeger, and ended with the owner of the firm saying, “To the PPDC, I say, ‘we have not abandoned you, and I hope that you have a place for our efforts.’ Good luck, and we hope to hear from you soon.”

“When was this produced?” Chuck wondered.

“When Otachi and Leatherback attacked Hong Kong,” May replied, shutting off the video. “They were unable to get the permits to transport it from Perth.”

“How come? If Mutavore hit Sydney, surely they’d know it was needed?” Raleigh wondered.

“Politics,” Chuck said shortly. “Dad and I would’ve met that stupid kaiju two miles out from the city if he hadn’t had to spend precious minutes on the phone arguing with the prime minister.”

May nodded agreement. “Press conference will be in Conference Room A tomorrow. Suits, please. Any questions?”

“How do we address the people who accuse us of being a useless waste of resources?” Raleigh asked. “Or ask me why I worked the Wall?”

May looked like she’d expected those questions and smiled. “As the marshal has already pointed out to the press, ‘useless and obsolete’ refers to the Anti-Kaiju Wall, not the Jaeger Program. As for your work on said wall,” she smiled gently, “you can simply say that it was the only position available to you at the time, and leave it at that. ‘No comment’ is a valid answer as well.”

She then proceeded to go through some of the questions Chuck was already familiar with from the interview with BBC News Raleigh had missed. They spent the next half hour going through what was now the new party line: preparation in case the Breach reopened and assistance with reconstruction efforts. May also let them know to expect fifty representatives from multiple international news media. Both Chuck and Raleigh had questions, not only about what the press might ask, but about what to disclose regarding the jaeger. 

Finally, May let them go. By then, it was time for dinner, and they escaped the conference room. 

Chuck waited until they were well down the hallway. Turning slightly, he stopped Raleigh’s forward movement and pressed him against the wall before kissing him passionately.

Raleigh arched an eyebrow. “Is that your way of telling me you aren’t hungry for food?”

“Maybe,” Chuck allowed. Then his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten lunch. “Maybe I just wanted to kiss you.” He stepped back as Raleigh laughed.

“Good to know,” Raleigh said with a smile, and stole a kiss before heading down the hallway.


	8. Chapter 8

Herc corralled his son after dinner, claiming he wanted to spend some time together, which was a request Chuck couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He’d had plenty of time in Striker during the jumphawk transport to wish his father was in the left harness, reassuring him with his quiet strength. Tonight, it was a game of chess, acknowledging that neither was in the shape to do their favorite activity of lifting weights, and as usual, the game went on for hours.

The next time Chuck saw Raleigh was at breakfast. It didn’t escape Chuck’s notice that Raleigh was eating slowly and in small portions. “Food’s not going to go away, you know.”

Raleigh grimaced. “Doc wants me to go slowly because I was on rations for five years. If I’m not careful, I can make myself sick.”

“Does being able to do that other thing factor in?” Chuck wondered, mindful that there were others around them who didn’t know that Raleigh could shift into a dog.

“Somewhat,” Raleigh said. “I have a higher sensitivity to caffeine and chocolate, which sucks because I really like them.”

“How often do you have to shift?” Chuck wondered.

“Maximum I can go without is two weeks,” Raleigh replied. “It’s better if I do it at least every forty-eight hours.”

Chuck did the math in his head. “So you thought you’d be fine when we hit the Breach,” her surmised.

Raleigh nodded. “Wasn’t expecting to get stuck in Medical as long as I did.”

“Why don’t you do it every day, then, if that’s a risk?”

“Not used to thinking I can risk it,” Raleigh replied and changed the subject. “Have you seen Phantom Vengeance yet?”

“Mako said it’s scheduled to arrive in the next half hour,” Chuck said, checking his watch. “Given it’s her, I’m sure it will be on time.”

Raleigh grinned at that comment. “You and Mako go back a long time.”

“Fought like cats and dogs,” Chuck said as he nodded. “We’ve always tried to beat each other. She won at the engineering; I thought I’d won by getting into a jaeger earlier.” He shrugged awkwardly. “Seems kind of petty, now.”

Raleigh smiled. “Feel that way about some of the things Yancy and I did.” He continued to eat, methodically and slowly, but now he didn’t look at Chuck as he did it.

Chuck realized he didn’t need to hang around since he’d finished eating, but he didn’t feel like going just yet. “I was wrong,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know how hard it was to Drift with someone new until Stacker and I did it. Chased my first RABIT in years.”

Raleigh looked up then. “You didn’t.”

Chuck cracked a rueful grin. “Only reason why you didn’t hear about it is because Stacker ordered our initialization to be muted, in case I fucked up. He brought nothing into the Drift, so all I had to latch on to…”

“Was what was in your own head,” Raleigh finished, and winced. “Sorry to hear that.” He looked at Chuck sympathetically before adding, “If you wanted to take off and get ready, I’m not going to hold it against you.” He glanced down at his half-eaten plate. “I’m still going to be eating for a while yet.”

“Thought you might want some help tying your tie.” Now that he had a taste of Raleigh, Chuck wanted more.

Raleigh looked at him archly. “If we did that, we’d never leave my room. Besides, I wasn’t going to climb around that jaeger in a suit.”

Chuck stared at him. Was he that simple to figure out? he wondered. From the grin Raleigh was wearing, the answer was yes. “Fine, then,” Chuck said, somewhat grumpily. “I’ll meet you in the jaeger bay.” Not bothering to check Raleigh’s reaction, he stood, grabbed his food tray, and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

Checking out the jaeger took several hours, leaving them with just enough time to prep for the press conference, then lunch. The press was, as anticipated, not 100% supportive, but they got through it without anyone losing the tempers, though it had been a near thing, which Chuck counted as a win. As soon as the press cleared the ‘dome, it was time for lunch, and Chuck had scheduled cadet testing after lunch. Chuck didn’t see Raleigh at lunch, and was surprised to see Mako in the kwoon with the assembled cadets.

“Thought you’d be busy with Phantom,” Chuck said, surprised. 

Mako shook her head as she held onto her clipboard. For a moment, Chuck was reminded of the way she’d looked at the candidate trials for Raleigh, an memory that wasn’t helped by the fact she’d chosen to wear the same denim work shirt, navy khakis, and combat boots outfit. “Raleigh asked me to fill in for him.”

Then Raleigh walked in, except he wasn’t human…he was a dog. He looked apologetically at Chuck and Chuck sighed. Raleigh hadn’t wanted to answer the reporter’s questions, which had insinuated he was suicidal, dishonorable, and that his relationship with his brother was not natural. It had taken the combined authority of Herc and May to shut down the reporter, but the damage had been done.

“Right,” Chuck said briskly, and turned his attention to the cadets. “Attention everyone. As I’m sure you’ve heard, we have a Mark-5 jaeger and we are looking to find the two people who can pilot it. Remember, it’s a dialogue, not a fight. Any questions before we begin?”

“Why is there a dog here, sir?” one of the cadets asked.

“Because he wants to be,” Mako replied, her tone conveying that was so obvious. “Next?”

“Where’s Max?” the same cadet asked.

“With the marshal,” Chuck replied. “And since you’re so interested in talking, you’re up first.”

Raleigh sat down at Chuck’s left; Mako stood on Chuck’s right, and the candidate trials began. Raleigh acted, for the most part, like he was just a golden retriever, happy to be near his people. The only problem came at the end of the session as the cadets cleared the kwoon, when one of the cadets assumed it was okay to pet Raleigh.

Raleigh growled warningly.

Startled, the cadet stepped back in surprise. “He seemed so friendly just sitting there,” he exclaimed.

“He was burned,” Mako said easily. “So he’s picky about who pets him.”

“Ah,” the cadet said. “Sorry. So who does he belong to, you or Mr. Hansen?”

“He’s his own dog,” Chuck replied. “Get some rest, Mr. Reyes; we’ll be narrowing down the candidates tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” the cadet said and left.

Now that the room was clear, Mako looked at Raleigh. “I am not doing this tomorrow; I have work of my own to do if Phantom is to be battle ready,” she warned him, and handed her clipboard over to Chuck. “Good night, gentlemen.” She bowed quickly, a gesture Chuck returned and Raleigh managed to convey despite his dog shape, then left.

Chuck realized that Raleigh wouldn’t shift back until he was in his quarters, so he looked at him. “I have to report to the marshal about this afternoon’s results. I’m sure he’d like your input. Meet me there?”

Raleigh barked once, then trotted out of the room. Seeing him go, Chuck wondered where the future would take them, and considered if he should investigate wizards. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he decided against it. Being a dog seemed to have kept Raleigh sane, and he had a handle on being one for the most part, so who was Chuck to try and fix that? There were bigger things to worry about, like whether or not Chuck could manage a relationship with Raleigh, and how much bribery Chuck would have to use to prevent his father from giving Raleigh a shovel talk. Suddenly, having to train a bunch of untried cadets sounded infinitely easier. Never one to back down easily from a fight, Chuck straightened his shoulders. What he had with Raleigh was working so far; he wanted more, and he was determined to get it, starting as soon as they got back from dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kept wanting to go beyond the lighthearted fluff-with-sex I wanted to write, but I decided I'd end with Chuck's hope for more because this is all a "and they lived happily ever after" kind of fic.
> 
> As always, I really appreciate any kudos, comments, and constructive criticism you may have. :-) Thanks so much for reading!


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